Worship Notes for Sunday, January 20, 2013
The call of discipleship is the call to submit to the leading of Christ and to pursue holiness. We will explore this idea in the hymns and readings this morning. The Call to Worship from Psalm 25 speaks of the Lord teaching us His paths and instructing us in the way. We respond by singing Lead On, O King Eternal and praying for the day when our struggle with sin is over and we rest in the peace of holiness as we following the light of the cross. We continue with singing the Psalm for January—Psalm 73: O God, How Good Thou Art in which we recognize the clarity of the Gospel in the House of Prayer (Worship) even as God guides our feet until He brings us to glory (Discipleship).The New Testament Reading from II Timothy 3 speaks of the role of the disciple in following Paul’s example and continuing in the Gospel that was learned and firmly believed. One manifestation of the Gospel in our lives is the outward expression of living for others. In the Prayer of Confession from I Peter 4, we are confronted with the necessity in Christ of not living to satisfy our own passions but to live in the Spirit so that we may earnestly love one another, care for their needs, and use our gifts to serve one another to bring glory to God.
During Communion, we will sing Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken, “All to leave and follow Thee…Thou from hence my all shalt be.” Actually, just pay attention to all the words of this particular hymn! And we’ll conclude with When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.
We close by singing May the Mind Of Christ, My Savior with the prayer that the Word of God would dwell richly and the peace of God rule in our life as we are filled with the love of Jesus to spread the Good News of the Gospel in word and deed.
